Scheduled Review

Introduction

The schedule reviews are a collection of dedicated time set aside to ensure you are staying on top of your calendar, tasks and goals. The image below is just a template for how to schedule the reviews over the course of a year. (D-Day, W-Week, M-Month & Y-Year)

Daily Review

The main focus during this time is to review the tasks for the day and organise the calendar events. Outstanding tasks from the previous day should also be rescheduled or prioritised.

I don’t actually schedule the time to complete my daily review, however, I find it better fits into my morning routine depending on what I have planned that morning. The daily review is the shortest of the scheduled reviews and therefore means you can complete it quickly and anywhere. I find that I sometimes complete my on the bus to work or even when lying in bed on my Apple Watch.

Weekly Review

The weekly review combines a retrospective and prospective look at the tasks and calendar. The best day to complete this is usually at the end of a week, Sunday for me, and should take no more than 30 minutes. During this time any outstanding tasks from the previous week should be rescheduled for the next. A quick review of the calendar can also be conducted along with adding in any new once-off events for the week ahead.

I find that spending time on a Sunday afternoon gives me a feeling of control and reflection. In the retrospective time you can review how the previous week went, “We’re there gaps of wasted time in the calendar” or “did I complete all the planned tasks” are just a couple of questions to ask yourself. The prospective time is an opportunity to get a head start on the week and ensure you are set up for success. Also, a change to sort out the inbox from To-Do Lists

Monthly Review

The monthly review looks beyond the tasks and calendar and focuses on the progress made towards your yearly goals. A review of each goal should be completed to make sure everything is on track. If goals are starting to drift you can add events or tasks to the calendar or to-do list to bring them back on course.

Yearly Review

Once a year typically around the new year a whole-year review should be complete. Like the weekly review, this should also be split into a retrospective and prospective part. Looking at each goal and noting if it was not achieved and why. The prospective part of the review consists of setting new goals for the next year, I will write about yearly goal setting in a future post.